JCube
JCube (Chinese: 裕冰坊) is a shopping centre located in Jurong East, Singapore. It opens from 10am to 10pm and is home to Singapore’s first Olympic-size ice rink and the first IMAX theatre in the suburbs. It was built on the former site of the Jurong Entertainment Centre. The name, JCube was decided on after a naming competition held in 2010. J represents the mall’s location in Jurong. Cube represents what JCube was designed to look like - an ice cube. It was co-designed by RSP Architects and Benoy. It is owned by CapitaMall Trust and managed by CapitaMalls Asia and thus is a participating mall in CapitaStars, the cardless rewards programme by CapitaMalls Asia. Jurong Entertainment Centre The Jurong Entertainment Centre was a shopping centre located in Jurong East, Singapore. It was opened in 1993, closed and demolished in 2008. It had a net lettable retail floor area of 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) , and featured Fuji Ice Palace, one of the only two ice rinks in Singapore. In 2000, it was converted into a cineplex, with a total of six screens, operated by the Shaw Organisation. The shopping centre was within walking distance from Jurong East MRT Station. Redevelopment The Jurong Entertainment Centre was acquired by CapitaMall Trust Management Limited for $68 million in 2005. It was closed for redevelopment in October 2008 and was expected to be completed by 2011. The S$138.2 million asset enhancement work planned—the current JCube—houses Singapore’s first Olympic-size ice skating rink measuring 60m x 30m with a 460-seat gallery for spectators. Other asset enhancement includes a newly created floor where the present cineplex was relocated to. The retail space on all floors was also reconfigured so as to maximise the efficiency at the mall. In addition, a rooftop landscaped garden was constructed on the top level. However, due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and high construction costs, the redevelopment programme was delayed. The building was completely demolished in February 2010. On May 21, 2010, CapitaMall Trust held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new mall on the site of the former Jurong Entertainment Centre. The 204,000 square feet (19,000 m2) new mall, named JCube, comprises five levels of retail, two basement levels of car park and a rooftop landscaped plaza. JCube started welcoming shoppers on 2 April 2012 and is managed by CapitaMalls Asia. Green initiatives In 2011, JCube was awarded the Green Mark Platinum award by the Building and Construction Authority in Singapore. It is estimated that the mall will save 7,793,984 kWh/year in energy and 3,419m3/year in water. This can be done because the mall is fitted with various green features to help it reduce the consumption of utilities. Grey-water ice shavings from the ice rink are recycled; plants in the mall are watered using rainwater collected from a rainwater harvesting tank; waste heat generated from the cooling of the ice rink is also recycled to heat the rink’s zamboni and shower rooms, the use of solar panels to generate electricity and the use of green demolition for the former Jurong Entertainment Centre. Tenants *Daiso (Replaced Payless ShoeSource) *NTUC FairPrice Finest (Replaced Cold Storage) *The Rink *Shaw Theatres *KFC *The Manhattan Fish Market J. Avenue Due to the opening of Jem and Westgate and declining number of shoppers, J.Avenue, located on Level 2 of JCube, was launched on 6 September 2014. J.Avenue is mainly targeted at the young, and to keep them returning, retail concepts will be constantly updated throughout the year. There are trick art installations so that people can take selfies with interesting backgrounds. Since their target audience, the young, are more tech-savvy, J.Avenue also launched an online portal, featuring some merchandise available at the stores in J.Avenue. References External Links *JCube Website Category:Shopping malls Category:Jurong East